Folding paperboard box construction



United States Patent I 2,852,177 FOLDING BAPERBOARD BOX CONSTRUCTION Mary Elizabeth Frasch, Columbus, Ohio Application March 13, 1956, Serial No. 571,157

1 Claim. (Cl. 229-15) This invention relates to box construction and has specific reference to folding boxes formed from a single blank of paperboard or the like.

The object of the invention is to provide a double compartmented folding box composed of two duplicative commodity-receiving sections having back walls joined along a fold line to provide for relative swinging movement of the sections between positions of box opening and closure, and wherein a separating panel is employed between said sections to separate the commodity-receiving compartments and to confine commodities in said compartments when the sections are moved relatively between positions of box opening and closure.

Another object is to provide a folding box of the character indicated wherein the side walls of the duplicative box sections have their meeting edges formed with coextensive, outturned, flat-surfaced flanges providing for extended surface contact between the sections and the outer margins of the separating panel when the sections and panel are disposed in box-closing order.

A further object is to provide a box of the type set forth which is simple in construction, may be manufactured at a low cost and one which constitutes an improved composite package for the reception of two or more different kinds of commodities.

For a further understanding of the invention, including additional objects and advantages thereof, reference is to be had to the following description and the accompanying drawing.

In said drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the folding box comprising the present invention when the same is closed;

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken through the box on the plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the blank from which the duplicative sections of the box are formed;

Fig. 4 is a similar view of the blank from which the separating panel is formed.

In accordance with the present invention, my improved folding box is composed of two hingedly connected, duplicative, commodity-holding sections and 11. Each of these sections is formed with a commodity-receiving compartment 12 which is defined by a horizontal bottomforming wall 13 and vertical front, rear and side walls 14, 15 and 16, respectively. In the formation of these sections there is employed, as shown in Fig. 3, a single blank of paperboard or the like which, midway of the length thereof, is creased or scored to present spaced, parallel, fold lines indicated at 17, 18 and 19 in the back wall 15 of the sections, the centrally placed line 18 constituting the line of fold or hinging line for flexibly joining the sections 10 and 11 in providing for relative swinging movement on-the part thereof between positions of box opening and closure. Similar crease 'or fold lines 20, extending perpendicularly to the lines 17, 18 and 19, are formed in the blank to define the side walls 16 and a plurality of glue flaps, shown at 21 and 2,852,177 Patented Sept. 16, 1958 22, the latter constituting separately foldable continuations of the back wall 15 and the front walls 14. Also, score lines 23, extending parallel to the lines 17, 18 and 19, are provided in the blank in defining the front walls 14. i

The front walls 14 and the side walls 16', are provided with score lines 23a defining wide seating flanges 24. When the box is folded and set up for use, these flanges project horizontally and outwardly from the marginal edge regions of the walls 14 and 16 with which the flanges are coextensive. After the front and side walls 14 and 16 have been folded about the score lines 23 and 20 and the back wall folded about the score lines 17 and 19, so that said walls extend perpendicularly to the bottom-forming walls 13, the flaps 21 and 22 are folded, as shown in Fig. 1, to engage flatly the side walls 16 and to which the flaps are adhesively united. Also, the flanges 24 are bent outwardly about the lines 23a. Strong, rigid box sections are thus produced for the reception of various commodities in the compartments 12 of the box sections.

In order to permit of separate use of these compartments, use is made of a separating or divider panel 25. In Figs. 1 and 2 this panel is shown as being provided with a securing flap 26 which is adhesively secured to the back wall 15 within the box section 10, the panel proper being free to swing relative to the flap 26 about a score line 27. The side and front margins 28 of the divider panel are extended to project between and to conform to the configuration of the flanges 24, the same having a flush edge relationship.

In holding the sections in their positions of box closure, the flanges 24, joined with the front wall 14 of the section 11, may be provided with spaced locking tongues or tabs 29 which, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, may be bent to pass through alignable slots 30 formed along the crease lines 23a at the region of joinder of the walls 14 and the flanges 24 and in the front margins of the panel 25. When the tongues are positioned in the slots 30 their free ends may be bent downwardly, as indicated in broken lines in Fig. 2, into engagement with the upper flanges 24.

In the use of the box when so formed the sections 10 and 11 may be opened or separated and disposed in substantially the same horizontal plane, thereby rendering the compartments 12 conveniently accessible for the placement of various commodities or products therein. The two compartments adapt the box for the reception of different products, such as two different kinds of vegetables, fruits, candies or nuts. After the compartments are suitably packed, the panel 25 is turned to close the open top of one of the compartments, for example, the compartment in the top section 11 as 'shown in Fig. 1. Thus, if the compartment in the section 11 is so closed by the panel, the operator may hold the marginal edges of the panel in contact with one of the flanges 24 of the section 11 by gripping the same with his fingers. This enables the, top section to be turned from the horizontal open position to the closed position of Fig. l-in'whichthe section 11 is disposed above the section 10. During this inversion of the top section 11 the products .contained in the compartment 12 thereof are retained in their packed positions by the separating panel which functions as a bottom for the upper compartment. Similarly in opening the box the extended margins 28 of. the panel 25 and the adjoining flange 24 are gripped with the fingers andthereby. held together while the top section 11 moved to its open position at one side of the bottom section 10. If desired, the margins of the panel may be adhesively united with one .or more of the flanges to hold the panel in a compartmentclosing position, avoiding the gripping of the same by the fingers during opening and closing of the box.

When so adhesively sealed to one of the sections or 11, the divider panel may be formed, at least in part, from a transparent material so that the contents of the compartment closed thereby may be viewed when the box is opened.

From the foregoing it will be evident that the present invention provides a foldable paperboard box in which the dual compartments of the swinging sections thereof are adapted for selective closure by the turnable separating panel whereby to hold products packed in the compartments against displacement when the sections are moved between positions of box opening and closure. In conveniently using the box in this operation, the broad seating flanges 24 of the sections 10 and It and the intervening margins 28 of the panel 25 are of importance in that they permit the panel to bc held in a position of compartment closure when one of the sections is inverted. Further, the flanges contribute to the strength and sturdiness of the box generally.

I claim:

A dual compartment folding box comprising a paperboard blank formed with a pair of duplicative sections, each of said sections having a bottom wall, upstanding front and side walls, and an open top and being hingedly united by a common back wall, said walls defining in each section a product-receiving compartment, the edge portions of said front and side walls terminating in integral outwardly directed seating flanges, the common back wall of said sections being provided with an intermediate fold line about which said sections may be swung to open and close the box; and a substantially flat divider panel coextensive in area with the open tops of each of said sections and the seating flanges of said front and side walls for separating said sections and for closing the open top of either of said sections when the latter are swung relatively to open the box, said divider panel having a glue flap adhesively connected with said back wall to one side of the fold line thereof and being formed with a crease line adjacent the fold line of said back wall to permit independent swinging movement of said divider panel between positions closing the open top of either of said sections when the latter are swung relatively to a box-opening position, said panel being formed with marginal edge portions arranged to be clamped between the seating flanges of the front and side walls of said,sections when said sections are swung to a box-closing position; the seating flange of the front wall of one of said sections being formed with a foldable, outwardly extending locking tab and the seating flange of the front wall of the other of said sections and the marginal edge portion of said divider panel being formed with registering slots through which said tab may be passed to lock said sections in box-closing position.

References Cited in the file of this patent Cox Mar. 27, 

